Bouten Construction Co., of Spokane, has been selected as the general contractor for $27 million in projects for the Kennewick School District, in south central Washington.

To occur over the course of three years, the projects are to include extensive renovations and the construction of new space at three elementary schools in the district, says Doug Carl, director of capital projects for the school district.

The three schools receiving those upgrades—Sunset View, Cascade, and Lincoln elementary schools—all were constructed in the early 1980s and are said to be in need of major infrastructure repairs as well as additional space to accommodate a growing number of students in the district.

About 8,000 square feet of space will be added to each of the schools in the form of a new gymnasium and a few more classrooms, Carl says. None of the schools currently have a cafeteria space, he says, and the addition of the new gyms will allow for the currently designated gyms to be used as cafeterias and multiuse spaces.

The student capacity at each school will remain similar to what it is now, at around 500 students, Carl says, but the new classroom spaces will enable the district to eliminate the portable classrooms it currently is using there.

The projects are scheduled to take place over the next three years, with one of the schools undergoing work during each of those years, Carl says. The students will be displaced during construction and will be housed temporarily at a currently unused building within the district. The district will bus them there, he says.

Work begins this summer at Sunset View Elementary school, to be followed by Cascade and Lincoln in 2012 and 2013, respectively, Carl says. The final completion date for all projects is set for late summer of 2014.

Because the three buildings originally were constructed as prototype schools, meaning that they are identical in design and layout, the architectural plans for the project are the same for each school, Carl says. Some minor differences in the buildings' entryway facade, however, are to be done to differentiate them.

Spokane-based Madsen Mitchell Evenson & Conrad PLLC designed the school improvements, Carl says.

The Kennewick School District has a total of 14 elementary schools. The upcoming renovation project is being funded by a $68 million bond passed by voters in 2009.